Hi ladies,
I suffered from recurrent bouts of BV for about a year and a half (approximately August 2011 to March 2013). It was a total nightmare and it took a huge toll on my emotional well-being, not to mention my sex life. I have been free from BV for almost a year and in remembering when I used to scour the internet for a solution, I wanted to reach out to you all and share what I learned and what worked for me.
A few months before the BV FINALLY cleared up, I was so fed up that I went to an OB-GYN who told me, contrary to most recommendations, that I should consider using vinegar & water douches to "wash out" the overabundance of this nasty bacteria. So, I began douching with "Summer's Eve Douche, Extra Cleansing Vinegar & Water" (remember it is important that you ONLY use vinegar & water douches). You can also purchase the cheaper store brand, such as the CVS vinegar & water douche. I started douching once every two to three days for a couple weeks, then tapered down to once or twice a week for a few more weeks. Now, I douche once a month or so if I notice myself not being as fresh as I'd like to be. In addition, sometimes after using the vinegar & water solution, I unscrewed the top of the douche and filled it up with filtered water from a 1 gallon filtered water jug that I bought at the grocery store. Then I would douche one or two more times with the filtered water. The best way to douche, in my experience, is to stand over the toilet and bend forward so that your back and legs form an L shape (or 90 degree angle). This allows you to insert the tip all the way and fill up your entire vaginal tract with the solution. Then, remove the douche and sit down on the toilet and the solution will expel quickly from your vagina.
At the same time that I stated douching, I abstained from all sexual activity except for clitoral masturbation (no vaginal penetration of any kind) for about 1.5 months. I am convinced that the vinegar & water douches cured my BV.
Before resorting to douching, I had taken many rounds of Flagyl (both oral and vaginal) medication. The vaginal medication seemed to work better than the oral but after a few days the BV ALWAYS came back. I used to feel so uncomfortable and was always worried that other people could smell it, as I would get whiffs of it all the time. It was a very difficult time in my life and I hope this information will be helpful to those of you who haven't tried vinegar & water douching.
Other things to consider: make sure you and your partner(s) wash your hands before engaging in sexual activity. Also, if you use pads or panty liners during your BV infections make sure you use unscented ones and change them every couple hours. And finally, although there isn't a lot of medical literature about women being "allergic" to their partners, I do think I may have been particularly sensitive to my boyfriend at the time. Although the BV didn't clear up immediately after we broke up (we broke up three months before the BV cleared up), I do think my bacteria for some reason didn't mix well with his.
Best of luck to all of you!
I suffered from recurrent bouts of BV for about a year and a half (approximately August 2011 to March 2013). It was a total nightmare and it took a huge toll on my emotional well-being, not to mention my sex life. I have been free from BV for almost a year and in remembering when I used to scour the internet for a solution, I wanted to reach out to you all and share what I learned and what worked for me.
A few months before the BV FINALLY cleared up, I was so fed up that I went to an OB-GYN who told me, contrary to most recommendations, that I should consider using vinegar & water douches to "wash out" the overabundance of this nasty bacteria. So, I began douching with "Summer's Eve Douche, Extra Cleansing Vinegar & Water" (remember it is important that you ONLY use vinegar & water douches). You can also purchase the cheaper store brand, such as the CVS vinegar & water douche. I started douching once every two to three days for a couple weeks, then tapered down to once or twice a week for a few more weeks. Now, I douche once a month or so if I notice myself not being as fresh as I'd like to be. In addition, sometimes after using the vinegar & water solution, I unscrewed the top of the douche and filled it up with filtered water from a 1 gallon filtered water jug that I bought at the grocery store. Then I would douche one or two more times with the filtered water. The best way to douche, in my experience, is to stand over the toilet and bend forward so that your back and legs form an L shape (or 90 degree angle). This allows you to insert the tip all the way and fill up your entire vaginal tract with the solution. Then, remove the douche and sit down on the toilet and the solution will expel quickly from your vagina.
At the same time that I stated douching, I abstained from all sexual activity except for clitoral masturbation (no vaginal penetration of any kind) for about 1.5 months. I am convinced that the vinegar & water douches cured my BV.
Before resorting to douching, I had taken many rounds of Flagyl (both oral and vaginal) medication. The vaginal medication seemed to work better than the oral but after a few days the BV ALWAYS came back. I used to feel so uncomfortable and was always worried that other people could smell it, as I would get whiffs of it all the time. It was a very difficult time in my life and I hope this information will be helpful to those of you who haven't tried vinegar & water douching.
Other things to consider: make sure you and your partner(s) wash your hands before engaging in sexual activity. Also, if you use pads or panty liners during your BV infections make sure you use unscented ones and change them every couple hours. And finally, although there isn't a lot of medical literature about women being "allergic" to their partners, I do think I may have been particularly sensitive to my boyfriend at the time. Although the BV didn't clear up immediately after we broke up (we broke up three months before the BV cleared up), I do think my bacteria for some reason didn't mix well with his.
Best of luck to all of you!
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